AMBULANCE service bosses have condemned the actions of criminals who stole a 40-foot stretch of electricity cable which powers a Black Country paramedic training centre.

The centre, located in Sedgley, has been without power since Monday morning when training staff discovered thieves had broken into a nearby sub-station, which carries 11,000 volt cables, before digging up an electricity cable and stripping it of its inner copper wiring.

West Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust says it has had to spend unnecessary funds to find alternative venues for its vital training courses for operational ambulance staff taking place this week.

It has also had to organise emergency generators and additional security for the building.

Trust bosses say the cost has run into thousands of pounds and is money that could have been used to fund more front line ambulances to respond to 999 emergency calls.

Julian Rhodes, the Trust’s head of training and education, said: “We are hugely disappointed that someone has caused this unnecessary problem to a service which is here to help the public in their hour of need.

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“Whilst operational staff are not based here, we train literally hundreds of operational staff every week on new methods to improve patient care.

“What these thieves did was not only damaging to the Trust but extremely dangerous as they could’ve been killed. We’re working in conjunction with the police to help with their investigation and hope the perpetrators are caught.”

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